REI to close stores Black Friday, process no online sales

While plenty of retailers are choosing to keep their doors closed on Thanksgiving, REI is once again taking that a step further.

For the third year in a row, REI stores will be closed not only on Thanksgiving but on Black Friday, the company announced Tuesday. The outdoor retailer will also not process any online sales.

"We are doing this again to unite people, and to find common ground in the outdoors," CEO Jerry Stritzke said in a press release. "Right now,I think people are looking for a moment to take a breath, reground themselves and come together."

Through its #OptOutside campaign, the company is also encouraging consumers to ditch the stores for the great outdoors.

New this year, they are launching a search engine to provide inspiration of ways to spend the day outside. Clicking on a photo in the search engine will bring up more information. For example, a photo of a hiker would have facts about the trail, as well as expert advice from REI.

The company said that nearly 8 million people and more than 700 organizations participated in #OptOutside over the past two years.